Did you know that ice hockey is one of the oldest professional sports in Japan? And ice hockey is a popular sport in Sendai, making it a very appropriate choice to celebrate the Sendai Rilakkuma Store’s 4th birthday!

I love the way this plush is constructed, from the flip-up cage down to his plush skates—absolutely adorable! I’ve never played hockey, but this Rilakkuma certainly makes me want to! Or at least just skate around a little bit indoors while the sun slowly roasts Florida.

Enormous thanks to my Aunt Lulu for helping me get this sporty Rilakkuma! I hope he still has the chance to play hockey here in sunny Florida haha.

Do people still do #FollowFriday / #FF? I’m notoriously really spotty with my Instagram/social media usage, but these are a few photos I’ve saved that I’ve been really inspired by!

So beautiful! I really enjoy seeing everyone’s unique Rilakkuma aesthetics as I scroll through the #rilakkuma and #リラックマ tags, and these photos always get me motivated to capture more Rilakkuma photos!

Cool down by hanging out with one of my newest additions: Bobsled Rilakkuma Plush from the Sapporo 5th Anniversary Series!

I call him “Bob”.

Protective helmet to keep him safe and warm, with bear emblem in the front and center.

The bobsled itself has a bear profile, with subtle red “ears” attached to the sides, with a large yellow bear design in the front.

Profile shows two white racing stripes and a sporty yellow Rilakkuma title. I love the little bear for the dot on the “i”!

This Rilakkuma is completely removable from his bobsled (no strings attached!) so other bears can have some winter fun, too!

I think the tag art is uniquely beautiful, with a pretty snowflake design with little bears at the spikes. Nice peek of the fabric tag with gold foil embroidery describing the anniversary location and year, a motif of all anniversary designs from this cycle (compare to the satin ribbons from last cycle).

This is the first Rilakkuma plush to ring in the current cycle of sports-themed anniversary bears! Last cycle was the Rilakkuma World Tour, featuring Rilakkuma and friends traveling across the world. This cycle, the designs all represent important sports in Japan! Also, I’m glad they brought back the full-sized bears for this cycle—just as I was starting to get used to the mini-bears from the past two haha.

This Rilakkuma design is especially meaningful because the country of Japan made their official bobsled/bobsleigh debut at the 1972 Winter Olympics, with the bobsled event being held in Sapporo! Furthermore, according to the announcement for this anniversary event on the Rilakkuma blog, this design is supposed to represent all winter sports, including bobsledding, skiing, and snowboarding. I love how thoughtful these Rilakkuma designs at representing significant slices of Japanese culture and history!

Big thanks to my Aunt Lulu for chaperoning him all the way here from the Philippines! We are so grateful for his immigration!

So happy that Bear Country is branching out to athletics! I’m also excited to have even more sports bears from this cycle to share with you!

Catching up on my backlog, and sharing one very charming set that I think is very appropriate for Mothers’ Day: Rilakkuma Factory #2 and Korilakkuma’s Strawberry Flower Plush!

This time, Korilakkuma is larger than Rilakkuma!

Though not obviously thematically aligned, this sweet pair was released on the same day in September 2015.

At first, I felt that pairing them together created a narrative that Rilakkuma is toiling at the office/factory while Korilakkuma gets to enjoy her strawberry garden haha, but delving further, I think these two are paired perfectly together to paint two contrasting outlooks on adulthood.

Since he’s the second edition of Rilakkuma Factory, I call him “Fac-two-ry”.

Looking dapper in his monogrammed corduroy bowtie! And look at how fluffy his fur is!

Per Rilakkuma Factory tradition, tag art instructions on how to use this Rilakkuma plush paperweight. It’s no joke, he really is a formidable paperweight!

As the Rilakkuma Factory series tagline boasts, “Let’s enjoy your life with Rilakkuma!”, this Rilakkuma promotes work as fun and playful! The design is described as function in simplicity, a good reflection of the ideal employee and outlook on work as pleasure. And even in his cute plush form, this Rilakkuma is still very functional as a paperweight.

Then, this Strawberry Flower Korilakkuma series riffs on the ~responsible adult~ theme of Rilakkuma Factory by stating boldly, “I like cute things even when I grow up (大人になってもかわいいものが好き)” on the series page, which gives a contrasting flowery and fun approach to the responsibilities of adulthood. Very fitting for Korilakkuma, who probably loves bright pinks and flowers at any age! No alternative function here, just a beautiful Korilakkuma plush to look and play with.

This Strawberry Flower Korilakkuma stands tall next to Rilakkuma Factory, but she’s still standard size for a collectible Korilakkuma plush (about 21 cm).

Great details on Rilakkuma: dango in hand and in holster, with a shiny gold star and bear belt buckle detail. Rilakkuma also has a bright red bandana around his neck.

Sharp shootin’ Korilakkuma wrangled a snake! She also sports a pink bandana.

Kiiroitori has a leather lasso that he holds on his left and throws with his right! His bandana is turquoise blue.

Each plush has a hat with a gold bear motif around a brown belt.

And of course, their design motif is hiding around here somewhere: it’s a cactus on their tails!

Tag art: the cactus motif continues on their tags, where each cactus is outlined with a different color representing each different character: yellow for Rilakkuma, pink for Korilakkuma, and blue for Kiiroitori.

Wow, it’s a collaboration plush set with Shirokuma from Sumikko Gurashi! 3500円.

Caravan exclusive design features Rilakkuma eating some dango – does he have a toothache? 1700円.

The Rilakkuma Store Exclusive designs have Rilakkuma and friends in gowns with dango details! 2200円 each.

A tidy bento box playset with the whole team! 5000円.

In Japanese tradition, these teahouses (茶屋) are free-standing structures built exclusively for tea ceremonies. They have a deep architectural history stemming from the start of the Edo period, and there are many famous teahouses across Japan. I think this a great part of Japanese history and culture, and I love that it is incorporated into this summer’s Rilakkuma designs!

Lots of great items! I will be trying my hand at getting the bento box, to match my Oden and Osechi set! I like the dango-shaped Rilakkuma plush, too. What about you? Anything catching your eye?

Finally, have you checked out Canon Asia’s collaboration with Rilakkuma?

Gosh, isn’t that the most adorable promotional video? Canon Asian has a great contest on Instagram right now for Asian Rilakkuma and photography fans – you can win a Canon EOS M10 kit and a limited edition Canon EOS M10 Rilakkuma plush just by posting your Rilakkuma photos based on their challenge themes – “food” and “chillout” are the themes going on right now!

I think this has motivated a lot of folks to take some very creative Rilakkuma pictures! I have really enjoyed seeing everyone’s Rilakkuma photos recently on Instagram, and it’s inspired me to take more time again taking Rilakkuma photos like I used to!

Stay cool, and have a wonderful summer!

I’ll be having cocktails by the pool – red, white, and blue themed for Independence Day!

The Statue of Liberty is an incredibly meaningful symbol of freedom for us here in America. It is so fitting that the Tokyo Station Anniversary team selected NYC to represent them on Rilakkuma’s world tour this year, as both Tokyo and New York City are bustling cities that embody the metropolitan lifestyle of their respective nations. From the homage to Bartholdi’s original vision to a nod to contemporary NYC (hot dogs, I ❤ NY), this Rilakkuma plush design offers such a unique take on a classic symbol, and I really appreciate the depth of detail that I have come to expect from San-X plushies.

What else is fresh in the Rilakkuma-verse?

If you find yourself in Osaka this summer, you can relax at the Rilakkuma Cafe for a limited time only!

What a beautiful design featuring Koguma-chan, Korilakkuma, and Kiiroitori!

I’ve always wanted to go to a Rilakkuma-themed restaurant! Japan often features seasonal Rilakkuma pop-ups for a limited time, and Taipei has a permanent Rilakkuma Cafe – I’ve always wanted to go! Maybe I can make my way to Taiwan sometime in my future.

Also, a sneak peek into the upcoming Teahouse series!

A multicolored dango theme with removable hoodie!

A jumbo Rilakkuma dango, how cute!!

Anticipated to be released this July! So look forward to this cute (and convertible!) design and more to come! I’ll post more information as soon as I learn more!

Back in the real world, I just finished my third year of medical school! After my super intense surgery rotation, I now have two major national board exams to take before I begin my 4th year of medical school – exciting but exhausting!

What I really love about Koguma-chan’s plush design are the details that make him a unique character, but also one that jives well with the crew. Instead of a belly spot, Koguma-chan has a tuft of white fur. His white snout is taller, with a raised nose, and a mouth that doesn’t flare out as much as the others. Instead of being embroidered, his eyes are solid raised plastic.

As an “M” (medium) sized plush, he is structured a lot differently than the M classic Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma. He has a greater depth with a can-shaped base, and his ears are flatter and more mobile compared to the stuffed, spherical ears of Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma.

One of my favorite Koguma-chan details are the honey, bear-shaped, embroidered foot pads! He does not have upper paw pads like Rilakkuma/Korilakkuma.

Like Rilakkuma’s zipper and Korilakkuma’s red button, Koguma-chan has a unique motif, too: a bear-shaped honey mark on his left bun!

Tag art: doesn’t seem to be the most fitting for a standard Koguma-chan plush without honey pot or Korilakkuma, but super cute regardless.

Koguma-chan (こぐまちゃん) was introduced in this spring’s series called “Korilakkuma’s New Friend” (コリラックマと新しいお友達), which was released this past March. Above is the M (medium) standard design, which I think is super adorable! “Koguma” (こぐま) means bear cub, and this bear cub loves honey!

I’ve been holding onto these two cuties for a few weeks now, and I’m so glad I can share them both with you now! I’m thinking of ordering one of the ocarina Rilakkuma bears, either the Caravan design or the Net Shop Exclusive design. I’m leaning towards the Caravan design for its mobility right now, but we’ll see (also I’m running out of shelf space!!).

Koguma-chan is really shaking things up in the Rilakkuma world, and I can’t wait to see where he shows up next!! Is the Rilakkuma crew going to be expanding to four members soon, or will Koguma-chan be more of a bit player?

Personally, I really love this design – I’m usually not as enthusiastic about Rilakkuma’s animal designs compared to the complex/conceptual (or food) designs, but I do think this series captures the spirit of Rilakkuma in the summertime really well! What a great series to ring in these warmer months :) Totally reminds me of one of my favorite YouTube videos, Otters Holding Hands from the Vancouver Aquarium.

This aggressively adorable series will be hitting shelves this May – which designs are you eyeing?

I think I’ll aim for either the standard Rilakkuma otter, or the Store Exclusive Rilakkuma otter who faces the side. I might wait to see the other exclusives (Net Shop, Caravan, Lawson) before committing though (I’m attempting to show restraint haha).

I’m having a tough time figuring out what Kiiroitori is trying to be, looks like a fish in some designs, but then a jellyfish in the standard plush design, if anyone can enlighten me, that would be excellent.

Also, I’ve noticed that San-X has begun releasing multiple Store Exclusive designs starting with the Korilakkuma’s New Friend Series, which is pretty nice! I love having a wide variety of designs to choose from, though I suppose it makes collecting an entire series a little more expensive haha.

You can pick up this musically-inclined set at the Tokyo Skytreetown Solamachi Rilakkuma Store on May 21, and go meet Composer Rilakkuma, too hehehe.

Austria has produced a lot of famous composers, including Mozart, Hadyn, and Schubert. Rilakkuma and Kiiroitori in this series looks like they’re based on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart himself, who was one of the most prolific and influential composers of the Classical era. Born in Salzburg, Austria, he was known to be a musical prodigy, able to play the piano and violin by the age of five, which is beautifully represented in this Rilakkuma anniversary design as Rilakkuma and Kiiroitori’s instruments of choice.

Have to admit, I do love this anniversary theme a ton! It’s great to see the wanderlust side of Rilakkuma! I picked up the Tokyo Station 7th Anniversary NYC Rilakkuma, and will share those photos with you on the next post – look forward to it!

In other news, I’m deep into my surgery rotation which hopefully explains a little bit of my absence (sorry!) – I’m on the colorectal surgery service right now and learning a lot! I have 3 more weeks to go, and then I take 2 board exams, and officially become a fourth year medical student in June – woohoo!

Lots of hard work ahead, but won’t be a problem with Rilakkuma by my side!

So excited to share the Rilakkuma Cat Series Net Shop Exclusive plush set today!

All together, they make a super cute Rilakkuma kitty tower! Their promotional page always has them side-by-side, but I love them as a tower too!

Rilakkuma and his kitten pal are separate from Korilakkuma and her kitten!

Rilakkuma’s brown kitten is a little sleepy! Though taken out of context haha I think he looks a little smug.

I love the paw pad detail!

Bottom view to better highlight the snuggly shape!

Korilakkuma dresses up as a brown cat, with her own white kitten!

Korilakkuma’s kitten has lovely fluffy whiskers just like she does!

Cute matching red bows on the back!

Tag art replaced Korilakkuma’s kitten with Kiiroitori!

What I love most about this plush set is that they both fit snugly on one’s lap! This plush set was particularly exciting for my family because many of us are allergic to cats hahaha so this is as close as we can get to having cats of our own!

There are lots of great details like the bells on each of them, and the matching motifs: Rilakkuma/Korilakkuma and their respective kittens have matching whisker designs (two lines on each side for Rilakkuma, and generously fluffy ones for Korilakkuma), and Korilakkuma has a matching ribbon design with her kitten.

Also very interesting that Rilakkuma’s cat costume is that of a Calico cat, which are almost exclusively female due to a biological phenomenon called X-inactivation. The genetics behind their color patterning is really elegant, and I love that it’s represented in this Rilakkuma plush!

Elsewhere in the Rilakkuma world, there are lots of cute new additions, here’s what I’m looking forward to:

Tokyo Station 7th Anniversary: On February 11, the Tokyo Station Rilakkuma Store celebrated their 7th anniversary with a New York themed Rilakkuma plush set! I think it’s very fitting because Tokyo definitely has the hustle and bustle feel just like NYC! I ordered the Rilakkuma from this series and can’t wait to see him – I love that his “I <3 NY” sign has a bear shape in the place of a heart!

Rilakkuma is front and center as the Statue of Liberty, and while I’m not sure what Korilakkuma and Kiiroitori are directly representing, they look like they’re ready to tour NYC! 1,580円 each.

Where would you like to see Rilakkuma and pals travel to next?

Introducing Koguma-chan (こぐまちゃん): In this new series called “Korilakkuma’s New Friend” (コリラックマと新しいお友達) to be released in March, Korilakkuma makes friends with a new little brown bear cub named Koguma-chan! I think this series and the marketing so far has been so great, though my favorite detail is Rilakkuma playing an ocarina in the middle of the woods while Korilakkuma is off making friends with new bears haha – I think personality-wise, it’s very fitting for each character. You can find an awesome translation of Koguma-chan’s story over at PescaMaryan’s blog! I ordered the medium Koguma-chan hehehe.

Lots of different sized Koguma-chan plushes for your interest, each with a cute yellow bear motif on his paws and back! Mini hanging plush: 900円, Small: 1,200円, Medium: 2,300円.

Of course, Rilakkuma and pals are in on the fun too, and they are all dressed up as Koguma-chan with their own yellow honey motifs! 1,900円 each.

As for new additions, my wonderful aunt Lulu was able to secure a Rilakkuma Osechi playset! Lots of new Rilakkuma to look forward to, I just hope my schedule allows me to post more often!

Outside of Rilakkuma news, I rang in 2016 on my pediatrics rotation! I just took my final exam in pediatrics yesterday, and will be starting my 3 month surgery rotation next week. My schedule just keeps getting busier and busier, but nothing like shelves stuffed full of Rilakkuma plush to help me relieve the stress!

What are your Valentine’s Day plans? Simon and I will be going to a restaurant called Soco for a dinner date – yum!

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Photo Policy

I try as much as I can to source all the images on the blog that aren’t my own (mainly San-X promotional materials) – clicking on any image will take you to its source. I do not hotlink. If you click on photos I took myself, you will simply be taken to a page with the image alone.

Rilakkuma & friends (and products) are all property of San-X; I just like to take pictures of my plushies and talk about Rilakkuma things.